Energy Cities to the German government: Support an ambitious EU Energy Efficiency Directive

The Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) is the cornerstone of EU policies to reduce and save energy. This critical piece of European legislation makes or breaks the success of the energy transition on the continent. Decreasing our energy needs and shifting to renewables must go hand in hand, if are to achieve the full decarbonisation of our energy system and society.

The EED is undergoing a major revision, which will determine whether it can still be the EU’s cornerstone policy to reduce and save energy. Bearing this in mind, Energy Cities, through its president Eckart Würzner, has called on the EU’s economic powerhouse and biggest Member State Germany to support an ambitious deal on the future EED.

In an open letter, Energy Cities call on Peter Altmaier, German Minister for Energy and Economy and key player in the EED negotiations in the EU, to back a higher 2030 energy efficiency target and also to ramp up the annual energy savings obligation after 2020. By doing this, the EED can put our energy system on the right decarbonisation track, secure investments in energy efficiency and thereby create hundreds of thousands of new local jobs that will benefit cities, citizens and businesses alike.